Improvement in obtaining oil from paraffine



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S. LLOYD WIEGAND, OF' PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 62,583, dated Mart-h 5, 1867. I

IMPROVEMENT IN OBTAINING OIL FROM PARAFFINE, G ro.

re, 'ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, S. LLOYD WIEGAND, of the city and county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a. certain new and useful Process of Extracting Oil and Parafline from Bituminous Substances and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof. 1

' The nature of my invention consists in exposing-bituminous substances or other matter capable of yielding hydrocarbon oils or parafline, in a close vessel or chamber, at a. temperature below that requisite to decomposethe oily or hydrocarbon vapors int'opermanent gas, to the action of the gaseous products resulting from the decomposition'of steam,by passing'it through carbon heated to 'inca-ndescence, and subsequently extracting the oil and parafline therefrom, either by pressure or by displacementhby which means I am enabled to separate the oilsand parafiinefrom the crude material at a. lower temperature than by any other previously known process, and, to obtain both a better quality and better yield of products. I

I will now proceed to describe more fully and particularlythe-mod ein which I conduct this process, so as to enable any experienced oil distiller to perform this operation p I pass a yery small jet ofsteamflfrom a boiIer endorse .pr essurenfrsbeut one-hundred pounds per square inch (although steam of a lower pressure may be used)'into the upper eiid-of'a vertical cylindric retort ofabout.

; tcn'feet in length and ten inches internal diameter, charged with carbon,.0ak. charcoal being the most eligible form, and heated to a brightred heat. From the lower portion'of this retort by means of a tube, I conduct the gases evolved by the action of the carbon upo in the steam into a second retort, which it is most convenient to have horizontal and fiat-bottomed, heatedto a'temperature below that at which gas is generated, containing a charge of the mineral or other hydrocarbon-yielding material, and allow the gasesto become absorbed by the material. After this action has continued a sufficient time, I either extract the fluid or dense vaporous matter 1 contained in theeharge by pressure, or by introducing a current or currents of steam or aqueous vapor, (very low-pressure steam surcharged with water in some instances having produced most satisfactory results,) displace and carry off the oily matter and para-dine in the charge to a suitable receiving and cooling vessel or vessels, In conducting the process hcreinbefore recited, I donct wish to be understood as restricting myself to any particular form of apparatus, but regard as my invent-ion the mode orfprocess employed of first generating the oil at low temperature, and afterwards separating in the mode or modes described. I am aware that distillations of parafl'ine and oil from coals have been conducted where currents of superheated steam were circulated through the charge, both in retorts heated externally and by. the steam only, and the vapors carried-on to a condenser, and have already patented, myself, a process wherein currents of the gases generated in the mode hereinbefore recited were used to carry off the ccndensable hydrocarbon vapors, both of which I distinctly disclaim as any part of this present invention; but what I do claim herein as my invention, and desire to secure as such by Letters Patent, isl The process of treating bituminous substances by means of the gases as hereinbefore described, or in any equivalent manner, and subsequently extracting the oil and paraflineby pressure or displacement in the manner hercinbeforo set forth and described, irrespective of the particular form of the apparatus in which the operation may be conducted.

- S. LLOYD WIEGAND.

Witnesses:

W. P. Tnomrson, Roar. P. THOMPSON. 

